This invention relates to a swivelable sleeve that fits on a drumstick, comprising an essentially frictionless fulcrum that enables a percussionist to manipulate the drumstick with greater speed and precision than conventional drumsticks. In addition since the sleeve is removable from the drumstick, it can be positioned at any position on the drumstick that is most comfortable for the percussionist or may be removed from the drumstick all together.
It is well known in the art that numerous improvements have been made to drumsticks since their creation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,143 issued to Irwin H. Brochstein, discloses a drumstick with a hollow portion that provides a means for producing a mellow tone quality, not otherwise present when the drumstick is used on a percussion surface.
Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,260 issued to Anthony F. LaLonde, describes a drumstick incorporating an adjustable center of gravity for optimum balance. This drumstick contains a hollow interior containing an elongated threaded spindle that extends nearly the entire length of the drumstick. Adjustably mounted on the spindle are one or more weights that can be repositioned on the spindle to effectively adjust the balance of the drumstick.
Still another patent directed to the improvement of a drumstick is U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,566 issued to David J. Hughlett et al. that discloses a rotationally balanced drumstick. This patent discloses a drumstick having a weight, preferably a heavy weight such as a lead weight, inserted into a hole at the butt portion of the drumstick that is fixed in place. The fixed weight provides rotational balance to the drumstick.
Still yet another patent directed to an improvement to a drumstick is U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,768 issued to Donald J. Swift that discloses a multipurpose drum ball joint simulator. This patent describes a drumstick having a rubber or other elastic material ball mounted on the stick""s shaft so as to provide a ball grip that fits in the palm of the percussionist""s hand. This ball grip provides additional grip to the stick and thus enhances the performance of the stick.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a swivelable sleeve having a means for frictionless movement that can be positioned on a drumstick so as to enable the percussionist to move the drumstick in his/her hands with less friction. In fact, the addition of weights, spindles and ball grips actually increase the friction between the hand of the percussionist and the drumstick and thus decrease the speed in which a percussionist can achieve using that drumstick.
In these respects, the swivelable sleeve of the present invention departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily designed to reduce the friction between the fingers/hands of the percussionist and the drumstick.
The present invention is directed to a swivelable sleeve for a drumstick. The swivelable sleeve comprises a tubular shaft having a bore elongatively positioned throughout. The bore of the tubular shaft has a diameter large enough to slidably fit onto a standard drumstick. The sleeve is designed to fit the drumstick tightly so as not to slip when the drumsticks strike the surface of the drums. The sleeve also has first and second pivot knobs each of which has a front portion. The first and second pivot knobs are swivelably attached to the tubular shaft by first and second pivot means. The first and second pivot means terminate at a concentric wall defining the bore so as not to interfere with slipping the bore of the swivelable sleeve onto a drumstick.
The swivelable sleeve for the drumstick may have first and second knobs that may rotate 360xc2x0 in an axis that is essentially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the tubular shaft.
The pivot point in the swivelable sleeve can be two pin shaped members that are attached to the first and second knobs independently. The first pin extends from the outside surface of the first knob, through the first knob and through the wall of the swivelable sleeve terminating at the surface of the concentric wall defining the bore. The second pin extends from the outside surface of the second knob in the same fashion as in the first knob. The second knob is positioned 180 degrees from the first attachment on the outer surface of the swivelable sleeve. The first and second pins have a circular cross-section.
This connection permits the swivelable sleeve to be attached to a drumstick. Once attached to the drumstick, the swivelable sleeve enables a percussionist to move the drumsticks about the pivot points so that the first end of elongated tubular body of the drumstick moves in an opposite direction of the front portion of the swivelable sleeve. In other words, when the front portion of the swivelable sleeve moves above the longitudinal axis of the elongated tubular body of the drumstick, the first end of the swivelable sleeve moves below the longitudinal axis of the elongated tubular body of the drumstick. Accordingly, when the front portion of the pivot means of the swivelable sleeve moves below the longitudinal axis of the elongated tubular body of the drumstick, the first end of the swivelable sleeve moves above the longitudinal axis of the elongated tubular body of the drumstick.
A rapid succession of these positions, i.e., above the longitudinal axis of the elongated tubular body to below the longitudinal axis of the elongated tubular body, allows the percussionist to move the drumstick in a rapid movement with reduced or no friction between the fingers/hands of the percussionist and the drumsticks.
In another embodiment of the invention, the swivelable sleeve further comprises an expandable cuff member mounted on the tubular shaft. The expandable cuff member is used to secure the swivelable sleeve to the drumstick. The fact that the cuff is expandable allows the percussionist to slide the sleeve up and down the drumstick to a comfortable position regardless of the diameter of the drumstick. Once the sleeve is positioned at a desired point, the expandable cuff is locked so as to tightly secure the sleeve to the drumstick.
In another embodiment, the expandable cuff of the swivelable sleeve comprises a lever that adjusts the diameter of said expandable cuff so that when the swivelable sleeve is slid onto a drumstick to a desired position the lever is adjusted to tightly close the cuff about the drumstick. Once closed the swivelable sleeve holds tightly in place.
In another embodiment the swivelable sleeve is made of rubber, plastic, metal mesh or a synthetic material having a memory.